The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-06-25
editorial 8riets.
BY REV. 1. M. ATWOOD, D. D.
Canton, Ny.

Christ will be arbitrarily excluded from
hearing of him afterwards, receives fresh
impetus from an earnest letter of ez-
President Mark Hopkins, protesting
against the situations" and charges of
"heresy" and imputation of "unworthy
motives" contained in a recent Grafton
printed as an editorial in the Tndepend-
ent. OF course the letter must be an
swered. So the orator mounts the Tnde.
peRdent'S rostrum and unwinds himself
through seven columns more. The Inde-
pendent may be said to treat the subject
with unusual liberality and breadth.
1t is time, however, somebody told
the Independents orator that platform
harangues are out of place in the edito-
rial columns. The ore r0tundO may be
INDUCED before en- assembly, but swell
ing periods in an editorial, and particu~
larly in controversy,are simply ludicroue,
The question is important-much more,
so than either party to it imagines. 1t is
also an irrepressible conflict. This is
what neither party at present sees. Both
seem to believe that some form of COM
promise Is possible. 1t can't stay, gentle
men. The human mind and heart are In
this controversy; the vindication OF the
religion OF Christ is involved in it. Until
1t Is settled right it is not settled at all.
The Baptists held their anniversaries
this year In Minneapolis. The Baptist
denomination Is strictly congregational,
having no central authority. If we say
the great progress of the M. E. church
shows the value Of compact organization
and official leadership, we are confronted
with the example of the Baptist denom-
inRtion, equally numerous and flourish
ing, which gets along without any gener-
al supervision or legislation. The mis-
elonary work of the Baptist churches,
however. with its organizations and COM
prehensive management, takes the place,
largely, of bishops and conventions.
The Baptists are alive and they shine:
they give and they gain. 1t would not
harm any of us to be baptized with the
same baptism.
The proposal to have an episcopal
Cathedral" in New York is revived.
Bishop Potter has addressed letter 'to
the Citizens of New York." in which he
sets forth in persuasive language the uses
and credit of such structure. It is to-
be an embodiment of great moral and
spiritual ideas; is to provide monument
to religion corresponding in magnitude
and architectural grandeur to the gre at
palaces OF business and shrines of art and
education; and is to have "a pulpit in
which the best preachers within its COM
mand" shall be heard by metropolitans.
1t seems to be part of the Bishops
plan to make the new cathedral mem
orlel-place Of the eminent dead-s sort
of American Westminster Abbey.
Since the appeal is made to "citi.
zens' and not to Episcopalians, it be-
comes a matter of some interest to know
under what conditions the "cathe drsl' is
to be enjoyed by the public. To have it
open and accessible to all classes and COR
dltlons OF "people," would not be to make
1t more the property of the public than
Trinity, or than any Roman Catholic
cathedral If the country. We mark.
therefore, the significance of these words
In the Bishops letter; "Such a building
would of necessity, under our present
condition, require to be administered by
the church under whose control it would
be reared" That is, it would be larger
Episcopal church; not only managed by
EplscOpalians, but into the pulpit of
which no minister of any other church
would ever have more of chance of
entering than into the holy of holies OF
st. Patrick's Cathedral.
London correspondents agree in re-.
porting that the "Wild West" show Of
Buffalo Bill and Buffalo Bill himself
have for several weeks constituted the
sensation OF the chief city of the world
The Londoners not only attend Mr..
Cody Is show, which, as a thoroughly novel
representation, they might do without
exciting surprise; but they are lionizlng
the cowboy colonel and his Indians ana
ponies. From the throne down, through
all grades Of the aristocracy, there is q
sort Of Wild West competition for the
honor of dining and winng COWBOYS.
Col. Cody will probably make London
qis home and England his native land.
President Attieus Haygood, Of Ok.
ford, Ga. "a good authority, says there
are now $4,000 common schools in those
Southern States which adopted the com.
mon school system subsequently, to 1863.
They have been established at a cost Of
about fifty millions Of dollars, paid mostly
by the white people of the South. while.
the schools are very largely for the use and
benefit of the colored children. He re-
presents that the improvement in kuowl-
edge and in general character Of the
colored people OF the South, in the twenty
years since the school system was adosted.
has been greater than the most sanguiue
expected. He points out, incidentally.
that this Improvement was made possible
by the gradual amelioration Of the negro
under slavery. No such progress would
have been possible with the same number
of colored people direct from Africs.